Town face topping Pompey task in Vase

Hellenic and Wessex League leaders meet at Moneyfields

IT’S top versus top when Thatcham Town go to Wessex League leaders Moneyfields for Saturday’s FA Vase second round tie.

The Portsmouth side are currently three points clear in pole position at the top, and like Thatcham have suffered only one blip in the past half-dozen outings.

That wobble prompted manager Dave Carter to dip into the transfer market to sign Fawley striker Dan Fry, 18-year old James Guthrie from Verwood Town and Fareham’s Callum Laycock, while the return from injury of striker Steve Hutchings saw him net twice at Verwood on Saturday.

That took his tally for the season to 12 goals from 15 games, a return matched by strike partner Gary Austin.

The teams last met during Thatcham’s final Wessex League campaign of 2005-6, when Thatcham won with a single Paul Worsfold goal at Moneyfields in March 2006 to complete a league double after a 2-0 in at Waterside Park the previous November when Sean Cook and Richard Witt were on target.

Gareth Thomas was on the Thatcham bench that day, and current skipper Tom Melledew played in the return at Moneyfelds.

A special guest at Saturday’s tie will be Portsmouth FC legend Paul Walsh, the former Spurs, Liverpool and England striker.